100 books like Born to Walk

By James Earls,

Here are 100 books that Born to Walk fans have personally recommended if you like Born to Walk. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Becoming a Supple Leopard: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance

Owen Lewis Author Of Core: A Science-Backed Approach to Exercising and Understanding Our Central Anatomy

From my list on anatomy and movement at books core.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love to move and help others move. Movement is at the core of everything I do. In my clinic, I improve the movement of elite athletes and people in pain. I was determined that writing, usually a sedentary occupation, would further my movement exploration. My book reflects my physical and cognitive journey towards a flexible, fluid, and adaptable core can deal with the day-to-day requirements of life. It outlines principles for tailored, individualistic training to improve core function and enhance the movement of everyone. 

Owen's book list on anatomy and movement at books core

Owen Lewis Why did Owen love this book?

My own clinical approach is based on subtly working with the body. This book gives me many other necessary tools. A stronger, harsh, even brutal approach, which is sometimes necessary, can be found within these pages.

This book remains part of my ‘go-to’ guide for the constant prehab and rehab of everyday life. I love to row, a tough sport that requires a tailored approach to prevent injuries and guide me through land-based exercises.

On a theoretical side, I recognize many good fundamental principles that apply to other areas of movement once mastered. 

By Kelly Starrett, Glen Cordoza,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Becoming a Supple Leopard as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Revised and expanded edition! Improve your athletic performance, extend your athletic career, treat body stiffness and achy joints, and rehabilitate injuries - all without having to seek out a coach, doctor, chiropractor, physical therapist or masseur. In Becoming a Supple Leopard , Kelly Starrett - founder of MobilityWod.com - shares his revolutionary approach to mobility and maintenance of the human body and teaches you how to hack your own human movement, allowing you to live a healthy, happier, more fulfilling life.


Book cover of Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding

Owen Lewis Author Of Core: A Science-Backed Approach to Exercising and Understanding Our Central Anatomy

From my list on anatomy and movement at books core.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love to move and help others move. Movement is at the core of everything I do. In my clinic, I improve the movement of elite athletes and people in pain. I was determined that writing, usually a sedentary occupation, would further my movement exploration. My book reflects my physical and cognitive journey towards a flexible, fluid, and adaptable core can deal with the day-to-day requirements of life. It outlines principles for tailored, individualistic training to improve core function and enhance the movement of everyone. 

Owen's book list on anatomy and movement at books core

Owen Lewis Why did Owen love this book?

It seems I read either novels or scientific papers—page-turners or ‘can I get through this? ’ papers. Then, a book arrives that reads like a novel with the content any scientist would love.

Instantly applicable, it created questions where once I had only accepted norms. This book allowed me to question if I, too, was exercised about exercise. The militant and provocative nature of doing the ‘right’ thing without questioning the status quo. This book becomes a philosophical work that has driven my own understanding of the why that now underpins my own movement. 

By Daniel Lieberman,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Exercised as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

If exercise is healthy (so good for you!), why do many people dislike or avoid it? These engaging stories and explanations will revolutionize the way you think about exercising—not to mention sitting, sleeping, sprinting, weight lifting, playing, fighting, walking, jogging, and even dancing.

“Strikes a perfect balance of scholarship, wit, and enthusiasm.” —Bill Bryson, New York Times best-selling author of The Body

• If we are born to walk and run, why do most of us take it easy whenever possible?
• Does running ruin your knees?
• Should we do weights, cardio, or high-intensity training?
• Is sitting really…


Book cover of The Thorax: An Integrated Approach

Owen Lewis Author Of Core: A Science-Backed Approach to Exercising and Understanding Our Central Anatomy

From my list on anatomy and movement at books core.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love to move and help others move. Movement is at the core of everything I do. In my clinic, I improve the movement of elite athletes and people in pain. I was determined that writing, usually a sedentary occupation, would further my movement exploration. My book reflects my physical and cognitive journey towards a flexible, fluid, and adaptable core can deal with the day-to-day requirements of life. It outlines principles for tailored, individualistic training to improve core function and enhance the movement of everyone. 

Owen's book list on anatomy and movement at books core

Owen Lewis Why did Owen love this book?

Each time I read this book, I find new depths of understanding. I appreciate its readability while maintaining a stunning level of precision and accuracy. This book reflects my own clinical process and acts as a practical guide.

It is based upon working with real clients and is supported, not handcuffed, by research. I have often found anatomy books to be dry and singular in topic, whereas this book is rich and multilayered.

I now have a deeper understanding of the thorax through the lens of this cohesive, complex system view of the whole body.  

By Diane Lee, Catherine Ryan, Nancy Keeney Smith

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Thorax as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This clinical textbook will update the reader on the relevant anatomy, known biomechanics, clinical assessment, musculoskeletal conditions and treatment of the thorax and how these relate to the function of the whole body. An integrated biopsychosocial model (the Integrated Systems Model - ISM) will be highlighted in this text and used as a foundation for clinicians to organize their knowledge from multiple sources. The text emphasizes the current suggestion from the evidence that treatment be individualized and that clinical reasoning form the basis for treatment decisions.

Richly illustrated with 3D-rendered colour anatomical drawings, and over 250 clinical photographs, The Thorax:…


Book cover of Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual Therapists and Movement Professionals

Owen Lewis Author Of Core: A Science-Backed Approach to Exercising and Understanding Our Central Anatomy

From my list on anatomy and movement at books core.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love to move and help others move. Movement is at the core of everything I do. In my clinic, I improve the movement of elite athletes and people in pain. I was determined that writing, usually a sedentary occupation, would further my movement exploration. My book reflects my physical and cognitive journey towards a flexible, fluid, and adaptable core can deal with the day-to-day requirements of life. It outlines principles for tailored, individualistic training to improve core function and enhance the movement of everyone. 

Owen's book list on anatomy and movement at books core

Owen Lewis Why did Owen love this book?

Sometimes, a book comes along at just the right moment to act as a catalyst for change. This book made fascia famous and fashionable.

The imaginative dissections and clear anatomical knowledge allow a significantly more connected view of the body. Now somewhat dated it is still a useful and necessary introductory text. For many years I taught these concepts, so this book was my ticket to traveling the world and meeting and teaching incredible people.

This book was the catalyst I needed to develop the Born to Move concept, which continues to develop the worldwide understanding of relational anatomy through movement. 

By Thomas W. Myers,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Anatomy Trains as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Get a multi-dimensional understanding of musculoskeletal anatomy with Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual Therapists & Movement Professionals, 4th Edition. This hugely successful, one-of-a-kind title continues to center on the application of anatomy trains across a variety of clinical assessment and treatment approaches - demonstrating how painful problems in one area of the body can be linked to a "silent area" away from the problem, and ultimately giving rise to new treatment strategies. This edition has been fully updated with the latest evidence-based research and includes new coverage of anatomy trains in motion using Pilates-evolved movement, anatomy trains in horses…


Book cover of How Your Body Works

Steven Clark Cunningham Author Of Your Body Sick and Well: How Do You Know?

From my list on the body for children.

Why am I passionate about this?

I didn’t always know that I wanted to be a doctor, perhaps because there were no doctors in my family, and I did not even realize that I wanted to (or could) go to medical school until I was almost done with college. Once I did realize this, however, it became immediately obvious to me that being a physician (a surgeon) was what I wanted to dedicate my life’s work to, and I have been passionate about it ever since. Probably the topics I am most passionate about after surgery are education, books, reading, poetry, etc., so this book lets both these passions dovetail beautifully!

Steven's book list on the body for children

Steven Clark Cunningham Why did Steven love this book?

I love the way this book so clearly explains the structure and function of the body (anatomy and physiology) functions with conceptually perspicuous illustrations. It’s remarkable how the clear and intuitive the schematic illustrations teach about the body. At first, I thought that I would not like it, since the organs are not shown in their natural appearances but instead as machines, but after reading it, I loved it.

By Judy Hindley,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How Your Body Works as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

1984 Edition - New Never Sold - Some Shelf Wear - Excellent


Book cover of Fundamentals of Anatomy & Physiology

Chet Richards Author Of Certain to Win

From my list on upsetting your orientation.

Why am I passionate about this?

I never had a real career. Closest I came was the Air Force Reserve for 27 years. Along the way, I built fighter-vs-fighter computer models for the Defense Department, served as an advisor to a Saudi Air Force prince, led a team that designed a replacement for the Air Force’s A-10 tankbuster (which was never built, unfortunately), sold C-130 transport aircraft in Saudi Arabia, taught statistics in business school, became a yoga instructor, and did PR work in Atlanta. Starting in 1975, I collaborated a little with a retired Air Force colonel, John Boyd, creator of the infamous “OODA loop.” I was never a published author in the US, although I am in India, Portugal, and Japan. 

Chet's book list on upsetting your orientation

Chet Richards Why did Chet love this book?

Your parents always told you to “Sit up straight and don’t slouch when you walk.” Why is this good advice? What are all those bumps along your back and what does it mean if they start to hurt? What is “aerobic exercise” and is it better for you than weight lifting? How do cuts heal, and how does the body fight infections (and pandemics)? What does our brain do while we’re asleep? An anatomy & physiology text can provide the answers to those and thousands of other questions about something we inhabit 24 hours of every day. Here’s one I used in my yoga training. Textbooks tend to be expensive, however, so you may want to look around — there’s even a “For Dummies” book on A&P, which looks pretty good, especially at one-tenth the price of a textbook. 

By Frederic Martini, Judi Nath, Edwin Bartholomew

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Fundamentals of Anatomy & Physiology as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

For courses in two-semester A&P.

Using Art Effectively to Teach the Toughest Topics in A&P

Fundamentals of Anatomy & Physiology helps students succeed in the challenging A&P course with an easy-to-understand narrative, precise visuals, and steadfast accuracy. With the 11th Edition, the author team draws from recent research exploring how students use and digest visual information to help students use art more effectively to learn A&P. New book features encourage students to view and consider figures in the textbook, and new narrated videos guide students through complex physiology figures to help them deconstruct and better understand complicated processes. Instructors can…


Book cover of Anatomy of Movement: Exercises

Laura Staton Author Of Yoga Bones: A Comprehensive Guide to Managing Pain and Orthopedic Injuries Through Yoga

From my list on helping you reflect and reset.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a lifelong asthmatic I’ve been working with the body for as long as I can remember. Childhood activities included getting lost in the woods, camping, and roller-skating, and grown-up life has included the professions of a modern dancer, choreographer, yoga therapist, and occupational therapist. If you can learn to slow down and find safety in your body, you can always manage to find your way home.

Laura's book list on helping you reflect and reset

Laura Staton Why did Laura love this book?

Initially published in 1990, this book stands the test of time. Anatomy of Movement Exercises describes the body mechanics inherent in our functional and daily movements. The illustrations and explanations are very clear and the author's understanding of anatomy, physiology, and movement is astonishing. This book is perfect for anybody with a movement practice who wishes to better understand exactly what is going on as they move.

By Blandine Calais-Germain,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Anatomy of Movement as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Anatomy of Movement: Exercises, the companion volume to Anatomy of Movement, describes and illustrates, through hundreds of drawings, a comprehensive series of exercises involving the most common movements of the body. In this new third edition, all of the illustrations were updated and the photographs replaced with new illustrations. The exercises were chosen on the basis of their effectiveness and with concern for their safety. Some are designed to focus on strengthening a particular region or muscle group, others the entire body. Each exercise prepares the body to respond well to the demands of particular movements. Together they serve as…


Book cover of The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating

Heidi Beierle Author Of Heidi Across America: One Woman's Journey on a Bicycle Through the Heartland

From my list on slow travel adventures by women.

Why am I passionate about this?

Outdoors has always been a nourishing place for me, even when I edged into risky or dangerous places, especially solo. When I got rid of my car (for financial reasons), I found my options to reach outdoor adventures limited. Soon after, I began working in transportation, tourism, and recreation and sought ways for everyone to access outdoor recreational opportunities, regardless of their abilities or any limiting barriers. Slow travel is broadly inclusive, enabling anyone to benefit from outdoor experiences and their transformative potential. Slow travel helped me feel less alone, more connected, more balanced emotionally, healthier physically, and more creative; it revealed the path to Love.

Heidi's book list on slow travel adventures by women

Heidi Beierle Why did Heidi love this book?

Before reading this book, I thought the most inclusive version of the slow travel principle of micro-travel and mindfulness was going outside and experiencing the weather. But because of a mysterious illness that left her bedridden, Bailey could not go outside nor look out the window. Yet, she wrote about the habits and hijinks of a tiny snail a friend brought her in a pot of violets.

I loved that Bailey found snail “bites” on paper and then explained how a snail’s mouth works and why the hole in the paper was square-shaped. The snail becomes Bailey’s connection to the outdoors (or wildness), where she finds hope and agency. My lesson: a terrarium can be as (or more) therapeutic to someone’s spirit as walking Spain’s Camino de Santiago.

By Elisabeth Tova Bailey,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

While an illness keeps her bedridden, Elisabeth Bailey watches a wild snail that has taken up residence in a terrarium alongside her bed. She enters the rhythm of life of this mysterious creature, and comes to a greater understanding of her own confined place in the world. In a work that beautifully demonstrates the rewards of closely observing nature, she shares the inspiring and intimate story of her close encounter with Neohelix albolabris - a common woodland snail.

Intrigued by the snail's world - from its strange anatomy to its mysterious courtship activities - she becomes a fascinated and amused…


Book cover of The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature

Keith J. Holyoak Author Of The Spider's Thread: Metaphor in Mind, Brain, and Poetry

From my list on the creative mind.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a professor of cognitive psychology at UCLA, and also a poet. Growing up on a dairy farm in British Columbia, I immersed myself in the world of books. My mother showed me her well-worn copy of a poetry book written by her Scottish great-great-aunt, and I longed to create my own arrangements of words. Later, as a student at the University of British Columbia and then Stanford, my interest in creativity was channeled into research on how people think. I’ve studied how people use analogies and metaphors to create new ideas. In addition to books on the psychology of thinking and reasoning, I’ve written several volumes of poetry.

Keith's book list on the creative mind

Keith J. Holyoak Why did Keith love this book?

It’s not really six songs, but six human needs that songs fulfill: friendship, joy, comfort, knowledge, religion, love—needs that largely define “human nature.” This book combines the perspective of a neuroscientist and musician (Dan Levitin is both), describing why songs may have arisen, and how they impact emotion, memory, and the place of an individual in a society. A song combines music with lyrics—the near relative of a poem. For me (a non-musician), the book was especially useful in clarifying the ways in which song lyrics and poems are both similar and different. Songs derive their power by combining the creative potential of language and music.

By Daniel J. Levitin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The World in Six Songs as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

The author of the New York Times bestseller This Is Your Brain on Music reveals music’s role in the evolution of human culture in this thought-provoking book that “will leave you awestruck” (The New York Times).

Daniel J. Levitin's astounding debut bestseller, This Is Your Brain on Music, enthralled and delighted readers as it transformed our understanding of how music gets in our heads and stays there. Now in his second New York Times bestseller, his genius for combining science and art reveals how music shaped humanity across cultures and throughout history.

Here he identifies six fundamental song functions or…


Book cover of Science of Yoga: Understand the Anatomy and Physiology to Perfect Your Practice

Carol Krucoff Author Of Relax Into Yoga for Seniors: A Six-Week Program for Strength, Balance, Flexibility, and Pain Relief

From my list on for yoga teachers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a yoga therapist, health journalist, mother, and grandmother with a passion for helping people harness the powerful medicine of movement. Physical activity is essential to good health, and yoga can be particularly effective because it’s a holistic discipline that enhances all aspects of wellbeing—physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual. I started taking a weekly yoga class in my early 20s to stretch tight muscles and relieve stress from my busy job as a Washington Post reporter. Nearly 50 years later, yoga is central to my life, with practices that have helped me through several major health challenges, and kept me balanced, fit, and centered in our unpredictable world.  

Carol's book list on for yoga teachers

Carol Krucoff Why did Carol love this book?

As a mind-body science educator, Ann Swanson specializes in making complex scientific concepts simple and easy to understand. And in this dazzlingly-illustrated, comprehensive guide to how and why yoga works, she masterfully deconstructs more than two dozen basic yoga poses with detailed information on the physical and energetic components. A section on human anatomy explains various systemsincluding cardiovascular, digestive, and endocrineand a Q & A section explores common concerns such as chronic pain, stress, and mental well-being. Full disclosureAnn is a friend and colleaguewith extraordinary energy, deep compassion, and a generous heart.  

By Ann Swanson,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Science of Yoga as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Explore the biomechanics of 30 key yoga poses, in-depth and from every angle, and master each asana with confidence and control.

Take your knowledge of yoga to the next level with this ground-breaking 360 degree visual resource - made for serious practitioners and teachers.

Recent scientific research now backs up what were once anecdotal claims about the benefits of yoga to every system in the body. Science of Yoga reveals the facts, with annotated artworks that show the mechanics, the angles, how blood flow and respiration are affected, the key muscle and joint actions working below the surface of each…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in physiology, walking, and anatomy?

Physiology 88 books
Walking 21 books
Anatomy 44 books